Volume One, Chapter 12: Greater Conviction

After finishing her livestream, Su Tong spread out her talisman papers and prepared cinnabar.
Thanks to her practice that afternoon, both her speed and success rate in drawing talismans had improved significantly.
A few swift strokes with her wolf-hair brush, and she quickly finished a Soul-Seizing Talisman and a Ghost-Gate Opening Talisman.
She stacked the two talismans together, then took out her phone to withdraw the money she'd earned today.
Two fairy tale castles brought in a total of 5,998 yuan.
After the platform took its 30% cut, and she donated half of the remainder, Su Tong was left with just 2,000 yuan.
Not much.
But she was quite satisfied.
It was only her first day; once her reputation grew, she was confident she'd earn much more.
Humming a tune, Su Tong washed up and went to bed.
...
Banquet hall.
People mingled, glasses clinking, laughter echoing.
Only Xiao Shiyu sat alone in a corner, looking somewhat forlorn.
Today's event was a business banquet; he was hoping to find a design company for long-term collaboration.
However, he learned that the representatives from the attending design companies all had either "wood" or "fire" in their names.
Su Tong had specifically reminded him before he left: when negotiating partnerships, it was best to avoid those with "wood" or "fire."
He knew Su Tong was skilled at divination.
But even the best can make mistakes... right?
Should he try approaching those design company people after all?
Xiao Shiyu took a sip of red wine, caught in indecision.
"Hey, you seem off tonight—what's wrong?"
A hand landed on Xiao Shiyu's shoulder.
Looking up, he saw it was his childhood friend, Ye Bai.
He retorted, "Ye Third, shouldn't you be out hustling for Ye Group instead of hanging around me?"
Ye Bai glared, insisting, "Third sounds terrible—I'm the second."
The Ye family was one of the four major families in Haishi, living in Haihe Cloud View, not far from the Xiao family.
This generation of Ye had three sons: Ye Zhan the eldest, Ye Bai the second, and Ye Mo the youngest—Ye Bai and Ye Mo were twins.
Ye Bai's lively nature contrasted with Ye Mo's steadiness, leading their friends to believe Ye Bai was actually the younger, calling him "Ye Third" in private.
Xiao Shiyu quickly corrected himself: "Ye Second, then?"

"Ye Second isn't much better. Just call me Ye Bai," Ye Bai insisted, resolutely defending his name.
He settled next to Xiao Shiyu, casting him a curious glance. "Workaholic hiding here slacking off? That's not your style. What's up? Spill it, let your buddy cheer up."
"Get lost," Xiao Shiyu punched Ye Bai lightly.
Still, he confided in Ye Bai, though he left out Su Tong's advice.
"I'm looking for a design company for long-term cooperation, but none of these people seem right."
"Oh, that's it? I have a recommendation."
Ye Bai glanced around the hall, then pointed toward a corner. "See that guy over there?"
Xiao Shiyu followed his gaze: on a single armchair, a bespectacled man sat, scribbling away at a laptop, completely out of sync with the lively surroundings.
Ye Bai introduced, "That's Zheng Yuyan, a talented architectural designer. He used to work for a design firm under Su Group but was fired for refusing to alter his designs to meet unreasonable demands from clients."
Xiao Shiyu frowned. "I've been meeting a lot of designers lately—how come I've never heard of him?"
Ye Bai lowered his voice. "Rumor has it, the designs he created were all credited to Su Xi."
Xiao Shiyu raised an eyebrow. "Su Xi?"
Ye Bai, oblivious to his friend's subtle change in expression, continued, "Su Xi's surname is Su—I'm guessing she's related to Chairman Su. Otherwise, why would Su Group promote her so much?"
Xiao Shiyu's eyes flickered, his tone meaningful. "That's Su Group's business, nothing to do with us."
With that, he stood up. "I'll go meet Zheng Yuyan and see if he's really as good as they say."
Ye Bai waved him off, "Go on, go on—if it works out, you owe your buddy a meal."
Without looking back, Xiao Shiyu made an "OK" gesture.
He walked over to Zheng Yuyan, greeting him, "Hello."
Zheng Yuyan didn't respond immediately. He finished his drawing before finally looking up. "Hello, and you are?"
Xiao Shiyu wasn't offended, introducing himself.
"I'm Xiao Shiyu, general manager of Yangming Real Estate. I'm looking for a design team for long-term collaboration. I've heard you're an excellent architectural designer—shall we talk?"
Yangming Real Estate had risen rapidly in recent years, gaining significant strength.
With the general manager himself reaching out, Zheng Yuyan was a little stunned but quickly nodded. "Sure."
The two left the banquet hall for a quieter spot.
The more they talked, the more they clicked, feeling as if they'd known each other forever.
To Xiao Shiyu's delight, Zheng Yuyan wasn't the only one dismissed from Su Group; he led an entire team.
After learning about their situation, Xiao Shiyu and Zheng Yuyan agreed: the whole team would join Yangming Real Estate, with onboarding scheduled for the next day.
...
August 18th, Tuesday.

It was Su Tong's third day away from the Su family, and also the day she had arranged to transfer her household registration with Shen Xianglan.
Su Tong was in high spirits, wearing a sweet smile as she entered the dining room.
But when she saw her breakfast, her smile froze.
Breakfast included milk, steamed buns, chicken rolls, sweet osmanthus and goji berry tremella porridge, side dishes—a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, nutritious and well-prepared.
Yet her portion was more than three times Xiao Shiyu's.
Aunt Zhang was on the side, saying, "Miss Su, there's more breakfast available. If it's not enough, please let me know."
Su Tong was embarrassed, her ears turning red.
She explained, "I ate a lot yesterday because I expended too much energy. Normally, my appetite is just average."
Aunt Zhang seemed doubtful but complied, removing two servings from Su Tong's plate.
Once Aunt Zhang left, Xiao Shiyu couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.
Su Tong was mortified, fuming, "What's so funny?"
She took a big bite of the chicken roll, her cheeks puffed up like a little hamster.
Xiao Shiyu found her adorable and couldn't help teasing,
"There's really nothing funny—just that you ate enough for four or five people in one sitting."
Su Tong's face grew even redder. Afraid he'd go on, she quickly changed the subject.
"Do you know Lin Mianmian?"
Xiao Shiyu laughed for a moment longer, but seeing Su Tong about to get angry, he finally replied, "I know her."
A look of remembrance appeared in his eyes.
"She's Uncle Huo's stepdaughter. About two months ago, Ye Zhan's son Guoguo fell from upstairs, and she reached out to catch him.
In the end, Guoguo only suffered minor injuries, but Lin Mianmian cracked her skull and died before the ambulance arrived.
She was only twelve—a truly kind-hearted girl."
"So she died saving someone. No wonder she's surrounded by golden light of merit," Su Tong murmured softly.
Xiao Shiyu didn't catch what she said. "What was that?"
Su Tong sipped her milk, "Nothing."
Seeing her unwilling to elaborate, Xiao Shiyu wisely let the matter drop.
He finished his breakfast elegantly, then suddenly asked, "Could you help me divine whether I'll win the bid today?"
After last night's events, he believed even more in Su Tong's abilities.
This bid was crucial; he wanted to know the outcome in advance, so he could better prepare.